1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to structure-forming elements and more particularly pertains to a new prefabricated structural element that facilitates the construction of a building by providing a preformed element that is easily cut to fit differently-sized openings in a building and that facilitate the finishing of the interior of the building after the element is installed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the construction of a building or other structure, it is often desirable to create openings for doors and windows to permit egress and allow for light passage and ventilation. These openings require reinforced structural elements to be positioned above the opening to support the portion of the wall above the opening, and an element typically referred to as a “header” is employed that has greater strength than the usual stud-and-bay arrangement employed in the rest of the wall. Headers are most commonly formed by the wall framers on-site, using two or three 2″×4″ or 2″×6″ (or larger) boards that are nailed or otherwise fastened together and placed on edge above the opening. The on-site construction of the header can be relatively time consuming as compared to other framing done on-site, and fastener placement in the boards may not be optimal for the greatest strength. The fabrication of headers in this manner does not always result in a structural element that is the same thickness as the rest of the wall, which can cause gaps in the interior of the wall. The header formed of boards abutted against each other may also have a relatively lesser insulation characteristic as compared to the rest of the insulation filled wall.
Various prefabricated structural members have been proposed for use as headers (or as other structural elements) in buildings, which can eliminate the need to perform on-site fabrication and provide a more uniform quality for the header, but the known designs tend to employ a modified I-beam or box-beam configuration that can form gaps in the resulting walls which in turn may complicate insulation installation in the wall, as well as the finishing of the wall (such as with wall board) and the installation of decorative elements (such as curtain rods that tend to be installed above openings in a structure).
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,894 to Crump, Jr. shows a framing beam assembly that combines a box beam and an I-beam design, but is fabricated out of a multiplicity of parts and only has a limited area on a side which can be securely fastened to due to the positioning of a relatively soft insulation material on the side of the beam assembly. The additional parts complicates the assembly and inevitably makes it more expensive to assemble, and the limited area for secure attachment is positioned more toward one side of the beam assembly and thus requires that the builder make sure at each use that the correct side is positioned downwardly.
Therefore, it is believed that an improved prefabricated structural element is needed that can be employed in the construction of buildings, particularly as headers above opening in the building.